JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
383 
November  ‘2,  1899. 
EXHIBITING  CUT  BLOOMS. 
Those  who  contemplate  competition  at  the  forthcoming  shows 
should  not  lose  a  point  by  neglecting  any  little  thing  which  can  be 
done  to  give  a  nice  “finish”  to  their  blooms.  For  this  purpose  the 
flowers  should  be  watched  whilst  yet  on  the  plant.  The  large  Japanese 
varieties  for  example,  however  well  they  may  be  unfolding,  often  have 
have  found  that  the  hand  which  pulls  out  most  florets  does  the  greater 
good.  Incurved  blooms  must  have  this  attention.  It  should  in  all 
cases  be  done  while  the  blooms  are  developing,  so  that  other  florets 
may  have  room  and  time  to  fill  out. 
I  have  known  growers  deeply  concerned  because  a  good  bloom  may 
show  an  eye.  Of  course  such  a  thing  is  faulty  on  the  exhibition 
so  ne  florets  shorter  than  the  bulk  ;  others,  too,  may  curl  the  wrong 
way,  and  thus  prevent  symmetry.  These  should  be  removed  at  once. 
Some,  again,  get  entangled  one  with  the  other,  which  if  carefully 
loosened  have  an  immediate  effect  upon  the  form  of  the  whole.  Big 
buds  frequently  produce  such  a  wealth  of  florets  towards  the  centres, 
that  it  is  impossible  for  all  to  develop.  These  again  may  be  thinned 
by  taking  away  from  the  centre  a  few  at  a  time,  and  in  this  matter  we 
stand,  but  the  defects  may  be  removed  by  taking  out  the  yellow 
disc  a  few  days  before  the  flower  is  cut.  The  variety  Oceana  is  a 
capital  example  to  illustrate  what  I  mean.  A  first-rate  flower  of  this 
should  have  broad  petals,  and  these  desirable  specimens  are  not  usually 
obtained  when  the  buds  are  “  taken  ”  early.  Its  centres  are  close  it 
is  true,  but  early  blooms  have  a  squat  appearance.  Later  buds,  how¬ 
ever,  have  a  tendency  to  produce  an  eye  even  when  the  bloom  is  well 
